Bikes we like

i spend quite a bit of time looking at bikes. i really love them. i know there are others here who feel the same way. i thought i would start a thread where we can share pics of bikes that really catch our eyes for one reason or another. i'll start off with this little beauty i saw recently. it's called alizé 16 bonnet noir. it's a japanese bike with 349 wheels. comes in two sizes: 407mm and 460mm.. shimano sora drive train. dura ace bar end shifters. nice.

the bridgestone transit sport is an older bike. i think those pics are from a vintage restoration. i agree it's an awesome looking machine. i seem to recall a forum member from the philippines who owned one..

panasonic:
this is the panasonic springbok. i think of it as sort of the raleigh twenty of japan. seems quite a few people are finding and restoring/upgrading them to road bike standards. pretty nice and has a great frame latch assembly. note the last one is dressed as a bike friday

to continue with the japanese theme, this is one of my favs- the araya micro hurry. it was made in three sizes; 12", 14", and 16". looks like a toy, but was actually a high quality bicycle with a full cromo lugged frame and top of the line components (with prices to match!)
a nicely documented and meticulous restoration can be found here:

I have amassed a collection of small wheeled bike pics for your perusal.
I find the variations of design on such an old subject fascinating.

it seems you and i have similar tastes in bikes. i see you have the dahon presto lite in your pics collection. the presto lite is an awesome bike. i thought it was ridiculous that dahon dropped it and replaced it with the curve- definitely not in the same league as the presto. heavier and smaller. i think its interesting that dahon was "forced" to reintroduce this 10 + year old design, but wow.. 1000usd... better to find an old used one and upgrade it.

"How much does this bike weigh? It’s a common question, and rightly so. But the truth is, there are no industry standards for claiming bike weights—and this leads to a lot of misinformation. Variances exist based on size, frame material, finish and hardware. And as bikes get lighter, these differences become more critical. At Giant, we believe the only way to truly know the weight of any particular bike is to find out for yourself at your local retailer."

... the bianchi is a beauty. it amazes me that these bikes are not stocked by retailers in the US..

The SOMA is the only Japanese mini here, AFAIK... US branding but it came wrapped in pages from Yomiuri Shimbun. I've never seen anyone else riding one, and I ride SF daily..... put 50 miles on it just yesterday